Meliara:A life in darkness
by Sindhu815
Summary: This is the story of Meliara. Everyone in the Convent thought she would make the perfect lady; she was beautiful and accomplished. Her world changed when she lost her sight. Now Tortall is in touble. Can the blind Meliara save her country?
1. Default Chapter

She woke up in darkness, gasping for air. "Its only a nightmare. What is wrong with me? I should not be scared of something inside my heard." Something deep inside her knew that she should be frightened. The face, that horrible face kept looming in her mind. Trying to be optimistic, she said, "At least I will never see that face again."  
  
One of the maids called, "My Lady, the morning meal will be ready in an half hour." With the ease of practice she got out of bed, and located her closet. She was not a helpless little girl, she could find her own clothes. In the darkness, she pulled out a dress. The simple dark green dress with gold embroidery. She vaguely remembered her mother wearing it. As she thought of her mother, silent tears dripped down her face. It had been a year since her mother's death, but she still mourned her like she had died yesterday.  
  
She tightly gripped the railing as she walked down the stairs. She did not want to fall down the stairs and make a fool of herself. The other girls had already been talking about her enough. She walked slowly to her seat at the breakfast table. As she walked to her chair, the merry talking of all the girls had subsided into whispers. She was not deaf, she had clearly heard that they were talking about her. She just held her head high and sat at her chair.  
  
She heard introductions. Today was the day the 5th daughter was supposed to arrive. That must be the reasons for all these introductions. The 3rd daughter was doing the introductions of the girls, told as usual, the names, tiles the girls held and anything else worth pointing out. "This is Meliara of Blath," she looked toward the 3rd daughter who was speaking, "this poor girl is blind."  
  
Please R&R. This is my first fan fic, don't flame me. 5 reviews and I'll put up the next chapter. 


	2. chap 2

Meliara sat in thought, "Blind. Is that al they can say of me? Is that all I am?"  
  
A year ago she was not treated like this. A year ago things were different. A year ago Meliara was thought to be a beautiful girl, highly accomplished in music and art, daughter of a Sir Mikel and Lady Melinda of Blanth. The Daughters expected a good marriage for her. Though she came from a small fief her looks and accomplishments guaranteed her to a marriage of a good family.  
  
All that was before she had lost her sight. Now nobody noticed her black curls and I ivory skin. They only saw the blank blue eyes, looking at things that couldn't be seen. She thought, "I would have been able to better cope with the idea of blindness, if my mother and father hadn't died the day my sight had gone. It was still clear in her memory.  
  
They were all sitting in front of the fireplace in the castle when they heard the war cries of men. Her mother took her hand and ran to the wall. Her mother chanted some words and the wall opened, inside there was a small pace, big enough to fit one person. Her mother told her, "Stay here until you hear no sound." Meliara protested, "Mama what is happening, come stay with me. We can-." Lady Melinda cut her off saying, "I love you" and giving her a quick kiss. Lady Melinda hurriedly said "I have spelled the door so that you can see out but no one can see in." Lady Melinda ran down the hall leaving Meliara. "I love you ma" Meliara whispered. Her father had fought bravely, her mother fought along side him. She hadn't even known her mother could fight. There were just too many of the other men. They were all dressed in black, only their face was left uncovered by the plain black cloth. Mel watched and silently cried as she saw her mother go down...she bit her tongue to keep from screaming at the sight of her father dying. She saw everyone leave and all was quiet she came out of hiding and went to find the bodies of her parents she saw that horrible face. It uttered these terrible words, "This is so you won't follow in their foot steps." Then the world became dark.  
  
She was cursed. The healer couldn't mend her eyes. After all healers can set right problems of the body, but how can they set right the problems of magic.  
  
She had no other family. No sisters brothers, uncles, aunts. The only place to go was back to the convent. The people of the convent did not treat her the same. They feared her because she was cursed. Who wants to be friends with a cursed girl. No one informed her of the reasons of her parents' death. The only people who talked to her were the servants and the Daughters who taught the ladies; they only talked to her when asking her to answer questions in class. No one bother to help her. Who wants to help a cursed girl.  
  
Someone did.  
  
I know I said I would post the next chapter after 5 reviews, but I was so into the story that I couldn't stop. Please review. I would like to know what you think of it, but don't flame me. 


	3. chap 3

***PLEASE REVIEW***  
  
Meliara was sitting alone in her room as usual when she heard a knock on the door. That is strange, she thought to herself, breakfast just finished, the maid should not be calling for lunch this early. She walked to the door. Meliara, had memorized the layout of the room quickly, after she had lost her sight, after all who likes constantly bumping into things?  
  
"Good morning Meliara" said an unfamiliar voice. "I am the 5th daughter."  
  
"Good morning" Meliara answered politely, "What is the reason for this call."  
  
"I know that now you are 16 years of age. At 16 all the ladies must all leave the convent and come to the palace to find their husbands. I will be leading them on the trip there. You may think of me as a chaperone. The reason I called on you was to let you know that we leave tomorrow. Pack everything. You will not be coming back."  
  
Meliara stood in shook for a moment as she spoke, her voice trembled, "I think you are mistaken. I have lost my sight. My plans now don't include marriage, I am living at the convent until the end of my days. After all what kind of man wants to marry a blind women" The last part she had said, she could hear the venom in her voice, and feel the tears coming to her eyes.  
  
"I don't know Meliara. I leave you with two choices, stay here, mope, and live in this one room for the rest of your life, OR come to the palace and hopefully, with determination, create a life in which you will be happy."  
  
The next day Meliara sat on a carriage headed for the palace. She shared a small carriage with the 5th daughter while the other girls went in the larger one. Meliara knew that they would never dream of riding in the same carriage with the Cursed girl. She settled down for a long ride. The 5th daughter had said it would take a few hours. Soon she feel asleep. With a jolt, the carriage stopped. They had arrived.  
  
Knights and squires peered out the palace windows straining to catch a glimpse of the arriving ladies. The ladies must have spotted them because as they came out of the carriage they were gigging as they pretended not to notice the men staring at them from the window. The beauty of the seven ladies ranged from decent to beautiful. The ladies talked and giggled loudly amongst themselves as they walked into the palace. The men did not notice of the plain carriage behind them.  
  
The 5th Daughter had waited a while other ladies to girls to go into the palace. She knew that knights and squires would be secretly looking at all the ladies as they arrived, like they had done every year since she had been doing this, which was a long time. She wanted to make the journey for Meliara as easy as possible. What could be worse then having all the men of the palace staring at you, without your knowledge.  
  
"Meliara we can get down now. " said the5th daughter gently. As Meliara stepped down from the carriage the clutched the 5th Daughter's hand. During the walk to her rooms, the 5th Daughter explained everything to her; on my right side is the ballroom, the dining hall is adjoined to it...After walking for what seemed like forever, she arrived at her room. Meliara told her where everything was, her room here was much bigger than her room at the convent.  
  
She sat down on the window seat and felt the sunshine on her back. It felt so pleasant, she slowly drifted to sleep. She awoke feeling something tiny moving all over her body. She felt more of hem hop all over her. She sat unmoving, trying to figure out what they were. "CHEEP." She smiled. "Birds," she thought...She used to have birds once. Her favorite was a multi-colored bird called a parrot. Her father had brought it back for her fm one of his travels. It repeated everything she said. That was before she went to the convent. Now she didn't know where it was. She tensed as she heard soft steps come into her room. She tensed as she heard its approach. The birds sensing her tension, instead o fluttering about, rubbed their feathers against her seeming like they tried to comfort her. She hoped no one caged these birds. She hated cages. "WOOF" She sighed in relief. A dog jumped onto the window seat and began licking her hands. She giggled and stroke the dogs fur. A she ran her hands up its body she notice one ear seemed to be smaller than the other.  
  
"Jump, Jump where are you now? Get over here Jump." and exasperated voice called. The dog that was sitting so calmly next to Meliara started wagging its tail and jumped off the seat and the birds that were delicately perching on her shoulders flew off. She heard the footsteps of someone come closer. They stopped. A deep female voice said, "I am sorry my Lady. These animals seemed to have been bothering you."  
  
  
  
What do you think? 


	4. chap 4

"Actually I was enjoying their company. They are quite nice to have around. Who may you be." Meliara said.

"Sir Keledry of Milden. Who are you?" As Kel was talking to her she noticed that the woman did not look her directly in the eyes but stared at a little to Kel's right. Kel quickly glance there to see what she was staring at, but it was only a wall.

"Lady Meliara of Blanth. I have just arrived today. I......" She was cut off by the sound of the palace bells. 

"It was nice to meet you but I must leave, I will see you at the ball" and Keldry ran of the room. "That was strange," Kel thought to herself, "None of the men mentioned her. She has looks to rival the Queen. She smiled to herself as thought of staying near Cleon tonight, she didn't want him getting an ideas. There is something strange about her....." Kel sprinted down the hall. Today she would be helping the pages. Who knows what they would think if she arrived this late.

Meliara sat in her room thinking, "A ball tonight. I guess I will not attend. Why go to a ball if you cannot dance. 

It was evening when the 5th daughter came to her rooms. "What is this an hour till the ball and you have not even gotten the least bit ready. The other girls have started getting ready hours back. If need be I will help you." said the 5th daughter

"I am not going. How can I go if I cannot dance?

"I thought you were better than that Meliara of Banth. I thought you have determination. I thought you had will I thought you had courage. I guess I was wrong. Bringing you here was just trading one bad place for another bad place.

When she left Meliara put on her gown for the ball. "The 5th Daughter does seem to have a way of getting at people" she thought smiling to herself. A woman walked into her rooms saying she was to be her maid. "Please go tell the 5th Daughter that I will have her escort and accompany me to the ball.

The 5th daughter arrived precisely on time. She stood in shock as she looked at Meliara. She was looking gorgeous in a deep red gown with gold embroidery. Unlike the other Ladies this had a high neckline that gave her a sophistication and air the other ladies didn't have. The gown was a bit out of fashion, but no one would notice, they would be too busy starring at the person in it. The 5th daughter told her that she would be with her the whole time and she wouldn't leave her side. She said "I will always stand in front of you." The 5th Daughter did not want to embarrass her by holding her hand.

Everyone stare at Meliara as she walked past them. How was she to notice, she just held her head high and stayed right behind the 5th Daughter as if they were attached. The training she had received at the convent had paid off. The people whispered of her poise and beauty. Meliara did not hear them because she was so captivated by the music. As she and the 5th Daughter and her sat on the cushions. The gaze of a tall man never left her. 

Kel smiled as she watched that Lady Meliara captivate many of her friends. Many of them seemed like they were going to rush and ask her for a dance, but were stopped by the Ladies who smiled, batted their eyelashes and tell them how handsome they looked. Then the Ladies would ask them to dance. The men had to go along, the Rules of Chivalry was very clear that they couldn't refuse. As soon as one man started walking n her directon, a Lady stopped him. It was very amusing actually. "Thank the goddess she had Cleon" she thought as she looked up into his eyes.

The tall man walked over to Meliara. None of the ladies tried stopping him. He was not the kind of person one would want to stop from doing something. He stopped in front of her and said, "My name is Numir Saliman and you are one of the most Gifted people I have seen."


	5. chap 5

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*Please Review*

The Lady did not even look up in his direction. The 5th daughter nudged her an said, "Meliara, I believe that gentleman has something to say to you." 

"Please speak sir."

This was not the type of response he expected. He cleared his throat and spoke once more. "My name is Numir Saliman and I believe that you have a very powerful gift."

Meliara just turned her head towards his face and said, "I beg your pardon."

Numir started to speak, but after he paused to look at her face he stood in shock. The girl was blind. His powers had never been wrong. He thought "we need all the help we can get, the times are not changing for the better. My prophecies may be hard to decipher, but they are never wrong. Even if our help must come from an untrained blind girl." He spoke again. "My lady, you seem to be gifted with battle magic. You have the largest power I have ever seen for someone with this type of magic. We can not leave this power untrained, you must harness it, control it, and hopefully put it to use for the good of the kingdom." 

Meliara sat in shock, her heart was pounding, her brain was in chaos, and she opened her mouth and said, "When do we start?"

Numir was yet again surprised . He hadn't expected that answer. "Tomorrow morning, seventh bell, I will meet you at your rooms." Then he left.

As Meliara heard his fading footsteps, she sat and thought about what had just happened. "What is wrong with me? Was I even in control of myself when I answered that? This is crazy, a girl who cannot even dance will defend the country? She turned to towards the 5th Daughter and said, "What am I going to do?"

The 5th Daughter had responded by saying, "I suggest you meet Numir tomorrow."

Then they both stood up and left the ballroom unnoticed.

Meliara was ready for Numir an hour before he was supposed to come. She sat anxiously for her bed waiting him. The bell chimed seven times. On the seventh ring she heard a knock on her door. "He is very precise," she thought to herself. "It is unlocked" she called.

"I will take you to the library and we can begin there." said Numir. 

The days passed quickly under Numir's teaching. Meliara never realized she enjoyed learning so much. Her old life at the convent seemed a dream. There she was useless and sat wasting her days away, here.... here was just wonderful. 

Mastering meditation was not so hard for her, after spending so many days in the convent bored out of her mind, she had to have control so she wouldn't go insane. She was now able to read again. Numir had spelled the books so that instead of the books being made of printed letters, it was made of small bumps. It seemed like she had to relearn her letters all over again, but it was fun. Now she could read all day. Her favorite books were on battles; tactics, strategies, and spies. They were all so interesting. 

One day Numir came in and said, "I have taught you all I know about magic, but I am not sure books should be your only teachers about battles and such. You must get your instruction from people more knowledgeable than I in that subject. Tomorrow you are to report to Sir Wyldon for your training in tactics, strategies and such.


	6. chap 6

The next morning Numair accompanied Meliara to meet Sir Wyldon. Though HaMinch had taken Wyldon's place as the head teacher, Wyldon still decided to teach one class to the squires during the winter when he was off of border patrol.

Meliara stuck out her hand, as taught at the Convent. Instead of him kissing it, as she thought, he shook it, as if she was a man. Meliara stood intrigued by the odd gesture.

Lord Wyldon spoke. "I am not a stranger to training women as warriors. I have already trained one and she proved herself as a credit to me. It is my belief that women are _capable _of being equal to men. I have heard of your situation and have agreed to take you as my student. Every day for four hours we shall work on everything you need to know about battles. Three hours I shall work with you alone. For the last hour you will be a student in my class in which I teach. That class is made up of squires, you shall be treated the same as the rest of the boys in that class. This will continue until I believe you are ready enough to go to a battle. Are you ready to begin Meliara?"

She answered in a clear voice and unknowingly was looking straight into his eyes as she answered "yes."

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"Meliara, you must learn to think like the enemy. You must plan and always be one step ahead. The lives of men are depending on you. The men may be able to create traps, but you must tell them what to do. Use the maps (that are spelled with bumps so she is able to read them) that are given to you. The enemy is attacking at the palace's west gate, what would you do?"

"I would form a half moon around the west gate and send the Own and the Riders to attack from the back so the enemy will be surrounded and cut off. I would use my magic to connect them. I would weave a net to trap the enemy with my magic."

For every question Wyldon gave her, she answered in her calm and unrushed manner. This was due to her reading books long past midnight on previous battles that were fought.

In a short time three hours passed and she had to sit down and become part of the a student in a class of squires. Wyldon led her to the classroom and to a desk in the back of the room. He was not a man with out feeling, he knew there might be discrimination against a girl, especially a blind one. Who knew what kind of pranks the boys might play on her. He actually liked her, in one class she had mastered the things it would have taken a month to teach the boys. She had a feel for battle, that was something that could not be taught.

Boys walked in their groups of friends and stared at the Meliara. In her plain blue dress, which emphasized her eyes, she still looked enchanting. Her hair had come slightly undone from her simple braid, but perfectly contrasted with her ivory skin. Some looked like they had wanted to sit next to her, but their seats were assigned, it would have been bad to receive punishment on the first day. 


	7. chap 7

"Is any job safe from these _females_, they are _trying_ to take over all the men's' work." Evan of Honalast sneered to his friend Joule of Swost Mountain.

"Two females as knights is too much." replied Joule of Swost Lake.

"It will be easy for one of them to take away your job, being the stupid idiot you are." said Mikal of Hollyrose. The rest of the squires laughed in agreement.

The laughter was quickly silenced with the look Sir Wyldon gave the squires. "None of you seemed to change have since I taught you as pages. Your knight masters may have been easy on you but as you know I am not." He seemed to be saying, Your respect for me better not have changed. "This is Meliara of Blanth, she will be studying with us for the class of strategies and tactics. I expect you to treat her the same way as any other squire. Though she is blind, odds are she is quicker than any sitting in this class."

Meliara felt herself glow with pride, though she had only know this Sir Wyldon for a few hours, she grew to respect this man and valued his compliments.

Most of the class found the tactics class somewhat boring and felt it pointless, they kept themselves awake by trying to catch a look at that Blanth girl who seemed so engrossed in Wyldon's lecture. 

At the end of the class Wyldon assigned them a question that they were to think of an answer for the next day as the students exited the classroom they discussed the problem debating many possible answers.

"Before you all exit the classroom, I require one of you to escort Lady Meliara to her rooms." said Lord Wyldon. The boys' hands shot up each hoping that they could take a walk and get to know the beauty. "Mikal of Hollyrose."

Mikal of Hollyrose and Meliara of Blanth made an odd pair. She, beautiful, with dark eyes and wide blue eyes; he had red hair, a plain face, with green eyes.

Mikal was well-liked by everyone, because of is open and honest way of talking, which he did constantly. "Why are you studying tactics and strategies my lady?"

"I have battle magic, according to um...Numir Saliman, who is supposed to be a very a very important mage."

"Numir talked to you about your magic, you must be very talented then. He never bothers with any of the squires or pages in their magic classes. I suppose he's too busy doing great experiments and such. From what I hear he usually mixes with people who have great and powerful Gifts. Take the Wild mage, he was her teacher, and she's done so many great things; she saved Pirate's Swoop, battled the immortals and such. What did your parents say when they found out you would be in a class full of squires? My cousin's 13 and in the convent, if she ever mentioned being in a class full of squires, I don't even want to think of how my uncle and aunt would react." said Mikal

"My parents are both dead" said Meliara quietly.

"Oh, I am sorry" said Mikal. There was a long pause.

Trying to break the awkward silence, Meliara spoke. "So tell me a bit about yourself. How many years have you been a squire? Who is your knight master?"

"I am a first year squire. Merric of Hollyrose is my knight master."

"Are you related?"

"Cousins. We have a very close family, since my grandfather lost so much of his family on the border, he tries to make all the Hollyroses as close knit as possible, which believe me, can sometimes be a curse."

"How are our borders? Is there much fighting going on?" asked Meliara.

Mikal was somewhat surprised at her interest in the border. When he served the table full of single ladies, who were fresh from the convent, all they did was giggle and talk about, hair, gowns, and almost every single available man. It had given him a terrible head ache.

"The war with Scarna is now over since Sir Kel defeated those killing machines. Now the talk of the palace is the trouble that's brewing in Galla. The whole country is practically screaming in fear of-"

The palace bells chimed loudly.

"Merric will have a fit if I am late again. This is the wing for the single ladies. Which room is yours?"

Mikal quickly dropped her off to her room and ran off to his knight master.

As she sat in her room, Meliara couldn't stop thinking of what Mikal had said about the fighting in Galla. She felt like somehow, she was going to be part of whatever happened in ending the troubles in Galla.

All of a sudden, she remembered something, Mikal hadn't said a word to her about her blindness. For once in a very long time, she had actually felt normal. Maybe palace life wouldn't be so bad after all.

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What do you think? I think the "trouble" will be explained by the next one or two chapters. Romance will start coming up next chapter. Please review and tell me what you think or any suggestions you have. No flames please!


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